Early Thaw of the Northwest Passage : barbara&barbara gallery : Chicago : April 2010

Early Thaw of the Northwest Passage, an installation by collaborators Jenny Kendler and Linsey Burritt, explores the space between historical and contemporary conceptions of the Arctic — a place which remains both a romanticized and unknown realm of wonder and terror, while simultaneously representing the objective reality of Climate Change. The Northwest Passage becomes a conceptual vehicle throughout the work, echoed by other passages: a passage for the movement of breath, passages to view the unknown, the act of passage as a way to new understanding.

Upon entering the gallery, the viewer finds themselves outside an ice cave constructed of meticulously folded origami forms. Secret portals allow one to to peer into the cave's dream-like interiors, through the snow-frosted exterior gallery window or hand-crafted golden telescopes.

These hidden worlds suggest a visceral bodily understanding of nature, born of surrender into this territory of otherness. This form of 'peripheral' observance nurtures an alternate method for the exploration of our relationship to this sublime otherness, where melting no longer connotes an act of loss, but becomes a generative act, blending disparate elements into a new whole.

The gallery walls will host prints by The Endangered Species Print Project, including works by founders Molly Schafer & Jenny Kendler and many other artists For each print, the number created mirrors the population of the animal/plant depicted, with 100% of print sales supporting that species's future survival.